Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-12-24
A LETTER FROM THE WOODS.
Edward viIo and His Little Woman on
Their Travels.

|
Their Travels.
Especial Correspondence
N THE WOODS OF MEXICO, Nov. "a
This letter is sent from what one might
call the jumping off place. and will be
sent back by Don Miguel, who has come
on with us to see that we are on the NAM
road for Durango, where we intend to go,
as it is said that that part of the county
has some very interesting prehistoric
ruins, which we wished to sketch, though
we may be some little time reaching there
rs we are told that the tract of country
lying between here and there is full of
humminy birds OF almost all known and
some probably unknown species There
are also several kinds of tanagers, which
| hope to find in order to complete my CO..
lection.
We are going to camp and travel slowly,
leaving the carriage ut cur camping place
and tramping about, but you can be GER
tain that we shall 60 provided hereafter
with compasses.
The little woman was 50 shaken by our
experience in the forest that it tool, her
full three days to recover, which time she
occupied in constructing q bloomcr suit,
and the Indian women at the Carroll ranch
made her handsome pair of leggings of
buckskin. This, with straw hat tied
on with red ribbon. made her look very
picturesque If not pretty, but she bravely
shouldered her bug box, as she calls it.
and her skctching materials and was
ready for the hunting expedition in the
jungles, though the game was to be bugs,
butterflies and birds. She may make q
scientist yet l tell her, and she retalates
by saying that one lunatic in family is
enough.
We slept the first night under the stars
with bright fire burning, with our rub
Der blankets and mir pillows, but l must
say that l slept little, as l feared the
dreaded puma, but morning tawncd and
we were safe. The driver made up the
fire, and our cook aroused himself enough
TO give us good breakfast of chocolate,
tcrtillas and beans, Which, with q couple
OF eggs apiece, was as good as we desired.
] looked up ut the little woman to see if
she seemed to have slept badly and 10.
her hair was crimped as perfectly as if
we had been Mt home and She had put on
clean collar and cuffs | muttered
something about the ruling passion being
strong in death, but she asked SO sweetiy
what said that gave it up, and now l
honestly believe that if she were dead and
laid in her coffin she couldn't rest there
unless her crimps were "in.n
That day she put the climax to my adj
mration by capturing and preserving
green caterpillar rs long as her finger.
wouldn't be afraid to trust her in the
house all alone with II mouse now. A
woman who can fearlessly catch such
looking thing and get it into II bottle with
neck not much bigger around than itself
Is bound TO achieve something some day
| wouldn't be surprised now if she should
Stay something worth being called game
or carry her fish bait in her mouth, as few
ladies learn to Go.
The woods are humming and buzzing
with insect life, and my only fear is that
shall not have space for all the new and
rare specimens we find. We do not use
the old style alcohol manner Of preserving
them, but have II bottle Of dry poison, the
fumes of which stupcfy and kill them
instantly without wettin5 theEl.
We are at the bottom of Il ravinc, or
rather u valley, with two abrupt sides,
which look rs if they had once been one
mountain which had been riycn and
stretched apart. All along the valley is
rich grass knee deep, in which there are
endless numbers of insects, and from some
moist ground the cook, whose name is
Manuel, has found Il basket of CrawtiSh,
and the little woman two horned toads.
The middle of the rayinc has no trees
which sets me thinking how strange it is
that often in the dcnsest forest you come
out upon an open glade without SO mNch
As bush, and wondering how ii happened
that nature has forgot to plant trees there
too. The little woman suggests that per
haps there is II difference in TIE soil, SO to-
morrow shall try TO understand it.
Manuel tells US that there i, Il very re-
markahlc cavern near here, which is full
Ct heads and bones and cups and jars
We had the misfortune to break cur best
water Jar, and he suggested this cave as
the most natural thing in tho world If
it had not been for this we should have
gone within Il stones throw Of it iSnor-
antly. We shall try to explore it to-
morrow. EDWARD WHO.